Subscription Renewal
by LM Simpson
Summary: threeshot sequel of sorts to my AU fic "My Master's Secret." When his life turns 180 degrees, Haddock has a very important choice to make.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Subscription Renewal  
><strong>Author: <strong>LM Simpson (Kady the Red Panda)  
><strong>Pairing(s): <strong>Tintin/Haddock  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M  
><strong>Warning(s): <strong>slash, transformation, body horror, morbidness  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I'm broke. I sure won't increase my bank account balance with this, because the only payment I will ever receive for this will be my and other's enjoyment.**  
>Other tidbits: <strong>I would highly recommend reading "My Master's Secret" if you haven't yet. This is connected to that particular fic, which was an AU fic where Tintin is a sorcerer that has the ability to shapeshift into a dog, among other things. I also wrote this for the Tintin_kinkmeme, where Tintin and Snowy are immortal and Haddock is given the same gift later on.

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Taking advantage of his still-fresh dog senses, Tintin sniffed the morning air. There was fresh-sizzled bacon in a frying pan, eggs bubbling in the other toast crisping in the toaster, coffee as it sifted though the filter and into the pot. And then there were the living occupants: his own scent, Snowy's scent, the cat's scent, Nestor's scent, the fainting scent of Calculus as he scurried out the kitchen and to the lab with a previously toasted piece of bread stuffed in his mouth, and…

Him.

Haddock smelled of tobacco, liquor, and fresh clothing, but there was another scent that Tintin could not normally smell. The captain smelled… _happy. _He could not describe it with adjectives typically reserved to smells, but rather those connotated with emotions. It was a content smell, a breakfast smells delicious smell, a what a beautiful day it looks outside smell. It was a smell that he was sure that he would be able to smell with other people if it smelled it on them. But for some reason, when he smelled a similar thing on the professor, it did not give the same reactions and emotions within him as it did with the captain. For the captain, it was a smell that made him glad to be living with the older man, one that made him all fuzzy and warm inside, and one that made him want to stay him no matter what happened. It was a feeling he never felt before (at least, not one that he could recall), and he wondered what else the scent could mean to him.

_Maybe this is what Snowy smells when I'm around, _he thought.

He closed his eyes, relaxed, and sniffed deeper and faster, enjoying what he could of the scent before his nose completed the shift from dog mode to human mode. He heard the captain say something, but he was too drunk from the scent to care whether it was directed to him.

It was the butler that weaned him from Haddock's lovely, happy scent.

"Eagerly anticipating your breakfast this morning, aren't you, Master Tintin?"

His awareness unfogged. He opened his eyes to a confused Haddock and, typical for Nestor, the butler's poker face. As he breathed through his nose, the scent was almost non-existant. The food on the plate Nestor held by the ends dominated.

He chuckled nervously. "Erm, yes. It smells so good, Nestor!"

"…Well then, I'm glad that you enjoy our usual morning meal, Master Tintin. I will gladly cut pancake Sundays to keep you satisfied if that's what you want…"

The plated "clinked" as it met with the table. Tintin whispered a quick prayer and then cut a chunk of scrambled egg in half with his fork.

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"'Oh, it smells so good, Nestor!' Well, of course Tintin, _good job _stating the obvious! Geez, I can be such a dope sometimes!"

Tintin body slammed belly first onto his bed. He turned over, readjusted himself, and folded his arms behind his back so that his hands cupped his head.

"Then again," he sighed, "What else could I have said? It's not like I could tell them that I was noticing how wonderful the captain smelled."

He moved his trunk forward and looked at Snowy, who stared at him back by the bookcase.

"Say, Snowy… Do you think that I'm crazy for going so… gooey at the captain's scent? Or do you think that it means something?"

Snowy's nose wrinkled. He whined and gave the best doggy frown that he could give.

"Hmm… It would be better to talk to you about this if I was a dog… Too bad that the transformation is always so _painful_…" Man and dog both winced just thinking about it.

His eyes lit up. "Wait…"

Snowy's tush hit the wall as Tintin squatted down in front of the bookcase, causing him to move back. He located the encyclopedia reference tome with his finger and whisked it out between its neighbors. Inside the large book was a compartment formed from carving out layers of pages, and inside _that_ was a small, black leather book that had definitely seen better days.

The reporter sighed. "I really do not like using this, but if there's a way to shapeshift less painfully, then I guess it will benefit both of us…"

Snowy moved closer and leaned over the book as Tintin skimmed through the pages. The pages and their contents blurred like whirlwinds for the terrier; he wondered how Tintin could understand anything the book stated.

"Aha!" Tintin eventually exclaimed. "Well, I'll be- there _is_ a potion to significantly dull the pain! And even better, I can collect most of these ingredients while I'm on my afternoon walk with the captain! Yes! That means I can be more covert about this now! Gimme five, Snowy!"

Snowy licked his palm.

Tintin blushed at his sudden stupidity. "Oh right. You _can't_ give me five…"

1111

"Just what are you doing, Tintin?"

Haddock stood on the dirt trail as Tintin followed Snowy to a nearby house. The terrier wagged its tail and panted, looking at his master while he picked some lavender from around the front yard garden. Tintin smiled as he placed it in a large satchel, along with other herbs and flowers he snatched from other residences and within the forest.

"Tintin," he said again, "Just what are you doing?"

Tintin squatted and petted Snowy with his free hand. "I'm getting everything together to make a special nip."

The captain raised a brow. "…_Nip?_"

He rose upright."Well, it's like catnip, only it appeals mostly to dogs. I think that I would like to try making it for Snow—HEY!"

Haddock tore through the bag. "Lavender, wintergreen, belladonna, moonflower, _wolfsbane_? Blistering barnacles, I think that this combination will kill your dog, lad!"

"I wouldn't be making it if I thought that it would kill Snowy, _Captain_," Tintin retorted before grabbing the satchel back. "I'm not stupid!"

The redhead instantly felt guilty at his tone. His face turned red and looked down to a confused Snowy. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Captain…"

To Tintin's surprise, his friend was not the least bit angry, at least not at face value. "That's alright to get all revved up like that, Tintin. I know you're not stupid-I'm just concerned that's all! Snowy is just as much family to me as I'm sure he is to you…"

Haddock was rarely this introspective, but he liked seeing his sensitive side for some reason. The same feelings he felt earlier emerged again. A crimson faced Tintin gazed down at Snowy again. This time, he weakly smiled, leaving the dog even more confused. "Only Snowy would make me go around picking flowers from other people's houses, I guess…"

1111

_He's hiding something from me,_ Haddock thought, shuffling back and forth about his bedroom. _He's normally not this secretive…_

The reporter was usually so willing to talk to him about his thoughts and dreams, but lately he had been acting suspicious. Tintin was never much of a snapper, and he never kept people out the kitchen when he was cooking, so something was up. There was no way in hell that Tintin was making that toxic flower stew for Snowy. He knew more about the sea than of the earth, but even he knew that wolfsbane was poisonous. The lad would probably murder someone to protect that dog if he had to—why would he willingly attempt to harm him?

_He wouldn't_, he thought, _because it isn't for Snowy. It's for someone else. Wait…_

…_What if that 'someone else' was _me?

When he snapped at him during their walk, there wasn't just because of the obvious regret that he yelled at someone, but also because there was an emotion he could see in the lad's eyes: guilt. And why would there be guilt? Because he was going to murder him for some reason, whatever it was.

He got an idea: _I should've had made him primary beneficiary…_

He gulped, glad that it was Nestor that prepared dinner, and not Tintin.

In a logical world, it sounded so ludicrous. But yet it _made so much sense…_

His door slammed against the wall as he stomped towards the reporter's room.

"Snowy, go under the bed now," he heard Tintin say on the other side of the door.

_Yes, that would be a _very_ wise move on your part if my hunch is correct, Snowy!_

He gave Tintin a chance to open the door on his own. A half-minute later, time was up. When he attempted to twist the doorknob open, he cursed to himself.

"TINTIN! Let me in, lad!"

All he could hear was heavy breathing. Nothing painful, but heavy breathing all the same.

"Dammit, Tintin! I'm breaking this door down if you don't open it at the count of five. ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! ... FIVE!"

He took a couple of steps back and shot his slippered foot against the knob several times until the door nudged free. When he opened it further, he immediately regretted even thinking about doing this.

He had seen some disgusting things in his life, but this topped the list. His mind instantly forgot about the conspiracy plot that had just seconds before possessed him. His face bleached itself white. His pupils shrunk. His jaw dropped as far as it could go.

Tintin was on the floor, completely nude and lying on his back. His quiff was gone, as all of his hair was drooped all over his face. What Haddock could see of the lad's ears was only because the entire ear seemed to be stretching, slapping against his cheeks as his head moved. His nose was a leathery black and flattening. His wide, flattened tongue was so long that it skipped his chin and dribbled saliva onto his chest.

The horror show did not end there.

Haddock could hear crunching and popping as he saw Tintin's limbs adjust more like a four-legged animals than of a bipedal primate. The fingers and toes elongated and flattened, with the nails sharpening into curved claws. The captain's eyes followed the trail of hair (or was it fur?) that traveled from his head, from his armpits, from his chest, from his pubic area. As great as the urge to purge was, he felt compelled to keep taking in the details.

A dark sheath was swallowing up Tintin's member. Something pointed and fleshy emerged from under the boy when he managed to roll to his side. Finally free, the tail began making jerked movements.

Haddock involuntarily retched, and vomited all over his slippers and floor. He took a couple of steps back and clasped his faint feeling head before spinning once.

And then, for Haddock, the lights went out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

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When he came to the next morning, Haddock found himself in his own bed. Even with the curtains darkening the room he could tell that he was under the covers and wearing his light blue pajamas. His head ached.

_Thundering typhoons, was I just having a nightmare?_

Then he realized, in the very back of his throat, he could detect the faint but distinctive taste of vomit. He turned white at the revelation.

_The lad really was changing in front of me last night. Blistering barnacles, the one night that I don't have a drink before going to sleep and I have to see _that!_..._

He buried his face into his hands. If he was drunk, maybe he could accept it as just that—a horrible, terrible dream. But instead, he was completely sober when he kicked open that door. Maybe not exactly right in the head, but that was the emotions talking, not any liquor.

He had no clear idea of what Tintin's final form was or what it looked like exactly. But from the looks of it, it appeared to be a canine of some sorts. Werewolf legends constantly filled his head as a boy, and even when he was teeny tiny he believed nothing of them. The concept of a man transforming into a wolf just sounded so silly. Now, he wasn't so sure what to think. It wasn't everyday that you saw your best friend turning into a bloody canine in front of your eyes, after all.

When Haddock finally got the energy to get ready for the day, werewolves was on the mind of another inhabitant of Marlinspike Hall.

Calculus giggled as he read the newspaper.

"What's so funny, professor?" Tintin asked.

"There has been another werewolf sighting at a farm, it appears. The farmer claims that it stole one of his lambs. Can't you believe it, a twentieth century newspaper reporting that a fairy tale figure is stalking man and beast alike? You would think that the newspaper would hire more _educated_ folks to write more serious stories than this backwards hogwash! Am I correct with that deduction, Tintin?"

"Yes, complete hogwash! And that is that with this topic!"

Haddock, who sat across from Calculus, sipped some coffee. "You never know, Cuthbert. Gorillas were supposed to be legend for years and now we know that they're as real as the noses on our faces."

He heard Tintin gulp.

"Don't you tell me that you believe in that childish stuff, Captain! You surely can't be serious!"

"I've seen some weird things in my life, lad. Things that most would say are impossible or just don't plain exist…"

Calculus seemed to not hear a word either one said. "Most certainly mass hysteria, I'm positive! Yes, mass hysteria, and this newspaper is feeding into it! This should fade out soon, or I shall write a letter of complaint to the editor of this rubbish newspaper! Something like this is so amusing for only so long…"

Haddock watched Tintin to see his reaction.

Tintin pulled at his shirt collar. "I-I hope it ends soon too."

The reporter looked at his half finished eggs and grape jam smothered toast. "You know what? I feel that I need to take a nap right now."

"But you probably haven't been up for even half an hour!" Haddock retorted.

"I don't care," Tintin mumbled. "I need some alone time…"

Haddock got up and began following Tintin out of the kitchen. Before he could leave the room Nestor stood in front of the entrance.

"Nestor! Let me through!"

"I am sorry, Master Haddock, but Master Tintin has just requested a moment of solitude."

"Blistering-!" Haddock inhaled and exhaled deeply thrice. At a calmer tone of voice he explained, "Look, I'm very concerned about Tintin, Nestor. The lad hasn't been himself lately. I just want to know what's exactly going on. If anyone can get to him, it would be me. "

Even when he sighed, the butler's expression never seemed to change. "Alright, Master Haddock. But if Master Tintin chews you up over this, I am not responsible."

_I really hope that he doesn't literally chew me up_, he thought with a cold sweat as he watched for that confounded broken step.

He lightly knocked on Tintin's door when he arrived at his destination.

"I am not in the mood for visitors."

"Tintin, please let me in."

"I'd rather not. It smells like vomit in here, Captain. It won't come out no matter what I do."

"How about you let me help you with that, lad? I did make that mess after all."

"… What?" Tintin nervously laughed. "No you didn't! Snowy coughed up something last night!"

"Blistering barnacles, don't play dumb with me! I may not be as smart as you, but I'm not a dimwit! I remember most of last night _pretty clearly_. I vomited all over your carpet before fainting. It was you that dragged me into my bed, wasn't it?"

Tintin cracked the door ajar. His crayon red face stared at his friend. "You remember last night? Blast it, my memory spell didn't work at all!"

"_Spell?"_

Tintin slapped his forehead and grunted. "Ugh! Why have I been so stupid around you lately?" He gulped. "Just promise that you won't tell this to _anyone else. _Can I trust you, Captain?"

Haddock detected a pain in his stomach, but his thirst for knowledge was more intense.

"Of course you can trust me! I thought that I was your best friend, Tintin!"

The ashamed look on the boy's face intensified the stomach pain. He pushed the door further open to grant him access, and then locked the door.

Tintin sat on the side of his bed. He turned even redder when Haddock sat to his right. Snowy walked over to the duo, whimpering.

"Tintin, I have a question to ask you… Are you the werewolf that Cuthbert was talking about downstairs?"

The reporter's voice came just above a whisper. "No, I'm not…"

"Then why—"

"I'm not a werewolf, Captain. I'm a sorcerer."

"A sorcerer, huh?"

"Yes. I can transform however I wish, though I have to do so at least once so my skills don't get rusty. I mean, imagine if the rest of my body was of a dog, but my head was still human? Usually I become a briard, because that's the alternate form I'm most used to. But the transformations are usually very painful. Now you know why I've been having all of those stomach pains, huh?

"That 'nip' I was making for Snowy? It was a potion to intensely dull the pain during the process."

The captain emitted a guffaw.

"Captain?"

He laughed again. "I'm sorry, lad! I just thought that you were plotting to kill me last night!"

"Kill you?" His heart panged. _Why would I ever want to kill the person that brings me the most happiness I've felt since… _"I would never even dream of murdering you, Captain!"

"I know now, lad. It was just a crazy thought that burrowed into my head last night. Though I have to say… wouldn't that potion had killed you? Or do you just happen to have an iron stomach?"

"Captain…" He finally faced his friend. His eyes possessed that piercingly serious spark that made Haddock aware that something was up. "I can't die."

Haddock's eyes finally blew up to incredulous proportions. "Can't die? Absolutely no way whatsoever?"

"At least, not by most means. I know sorcerers that have lived since modern man first came to be. Unless a death spell is cast upon one of us, we can get severely injured but will live to see the next day."

"How do you know this?"

Tintin had been teary-eyed since he began his confession, but the dams finally broke. He covered his face and attempted to stop crying.

_Good job at striking a nerve Archie, _Haddock thought.

"We… Can stop… If we want."

He uncovered his face. "No, no! You asked, so I will finish answering your question! I'm just so broken up because my parents were killed by a dark sorcerer a long time ago. He would have got Snowy and me if my father didn't tell me to hide before he confronted him. I saw the whole thing…"

"Blistering barnacles," Haddock said. "How old were you? Five? Ten? Fifteen?"

"Seventy. I'm two hundred and ten now."

"_Seventy?"_ He looked at Tintin, then Snowy. "Are you telling me, Tintin that Snowy is also—"

"I'm just as surprised as you are, Captain. When I changed him—"

"Wait, changed him?"

"Well, you see… Snowy used to be a human. I accidentally turned him into a dog just before my parents were murdered. _Pére_ couldn't find a spell to change him back, so he's been my pet ever since. I thought that he would just live out a normal wire fox terrier's life expectancy, but he's healthier than ever." He smiled at the dog. "And I'm so glad that he's still alive, because he's the only family I will have forev—"

"Tintin? Why are you looking at me like that? I don't like it?"

"Captain… You consider Snowy and me family, right?"

_What is that boy leading to? _"Yes, I do…"

Tintin twiddled his fingers. "Would you… Like me to…"

"No!"

Tintin was the surprised one now. "No?"

"Blistering barnacles, no! You are not turning me into a dog to keep me alive forever, Tintin!"

"Why not?" His tone resembled that of a confused child. "I thought we were _family_! How could you say _no_?"

"I… Just don't think that it's such a good idea! And no offense to Snowy, but I think that I would absolutely hate being a dog: flea baths, shots, being neutered… Why didn't you ask Chang to join you when you had the chance, lad?"

"Because he got a family of his own. "

"And what about Snowy? Didn't he have a family too?"

"It was a miracle in disguise that his father abused him. I already still feel a tinge of guilt from the accident, but at least in Snowy's case, the family he had wouldn't miss him. Chang's family is full of good people. If I did such a selfish thing to Chang, I would have to seal myself away because the guilt would always haunt me."

"…Oh. Then why do you want me to join you?"

"Captain, I…" He stuttered. His heartbeat quickened. "Captain, there's something about you that just makes me so _happy. _My determination has caused me to overcome and learn so many things on my own, but with you around I'm more determined than ever to reach my goals. Ever since I met you, I've never wanted to leave your side. Even though we both have habits that peeve us, we still have a strong bond at the end of the day. I accept yours because they contribute to making you your own unique person.

"… And I just… _love_ that about you." He stared into the captain's bright blue eyes, and a conclusion came to his mind.

"Oh my, so that's what I've been feeling! I know why I have those feelings about you, Captain! I _love_ you."

Tintin looked down, cursed, covered his face in shame, began weeping again. Haddock peeked at the boy's crotch for the first time. At the very least, the lad was obviously sexually attracted to him. _Him,_ an old seadog whose only sexual experiences with women were those in the sex industry.

"Is this… The first time you've ever felt these feelings for anyone, Tintin?"

"Yes." Haddock could tell it was sincere.

"Don't be ashamed about it, lad. I love you too, just… Not in that way. You remind me so much of when I was your age, so hopeful and bright and the what not. I don't want you to turn into a drunken, ornery, _pathetic _salty dog like I am now. I _do_ think of you as family, Tintin—as my son. But I doubt that I'll ever replace your real father, especially with those feelings you have for me.

"You know what? To tell you the truth, I do want to join you, Tintin. You know, be in your family forever. But just… Not yet. I may be the last of the Haddocks, but I'm sure that if I disappeared just now everyone will be mighty suspicious of you. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Tintin still possessed a childish look to him. "Promise? You promise?"

Haddock smiled. "I promise."

Haddock turned beet red as he kept staring at Tintin's bulge. "You know what? I'll just leave you to um, take care of that however you want. I'll be in the study if you need me."

Haddock closed the door behind him. His head hurt, but at least he now knew the absolute truth. And at least the study would be quiet enough for him to fully break down all the information he just injested.

"Captain!"

He stopped. "Yes, Tintin?"

"I'm not the werewolf, but there really is one around. It's Cutts the butcher. He gets a lot of his lamb by sneaking into farms at night."

"Huh. That's… disturbingly fitting. Now if only we could get Cuthbert to believe that little tidbit…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

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As it turned out, Tintin's confession was the first radical change in the captain's life.

Tintin and he sat in the waiting room of a hospital, anticipating a chance to visit Calculus in the intensive care unit. Both men stared at their feet. Whatever reading material there was had long since been read until their heads ached.

"Blistering barnacles, what was Cuthbert thinking, using gamma rays in his laboratory? The place wasn't built for those sorts of experiments!"

"He was commissioned to figure out how to irradiate gems to enhance their natural color. But you're correct Captain; at the very least he should've worn a lead apron. "

"An _apron_, Tintin? Bah! A lead _suit_ would've been better!"

Professor Calculus tended to camp out in his laboratory for days at a time. So when he did not return to Marlinspike for three consecutive days it did not appear suspicious to anyone. But when he did not attend pancake Sunday, something was certainly wrong. There was nothing that would keep the professor from enjoying his boysenberry pancakes.

It was Tintin that entered the actual laboratory. Granted, he was forced to ingest tons of iodine (and much more than the captain, who stayed outside at the reporter's insistence, had to) as a result, but at least he wasn't close to death like Calculus was.

It was somehow less disgusting than Tintin mid-transformation, but a radiation poisoned professor was a very close second. It was certainly sadder though—at least Tintin was fine after the transformation was complete. Cuthbert, meanwhile, seemed to age a thousand years in however many days he lay unconscious on the floor. The poor thing on the floor did not resemble the professor. When Haddock purged for the second time in three months it was not just out of disgust, but also of fear. Fear that his friend was in such a horrible accident, fear of said accident's nature, fear of what was to come.

When the head doctor entered the room, Haddock tried to pretend that he did not hear of Calculus's fate. Only when he had to purchase a lead coffin did he finally accept the truth.

3333

"Why?"

Tintin paused while reading mid-sentence at his novel. The windows in the study confirmed that there would be yet another rainstorm today. "Why what, Captain?"

Haddock sat in an oversized armchair on the other side of the lamp table. "Why didn't you save him, Tintin?"

"Save who?"

"Don't play dumb with me, boy," he snapped. "You know who I'm talking about."

Tintin sighed. "Captain, I thought I explained this to you already. The professor was a hairline away from death's door when we discovered him. Even if I did something, _anything,_ I doubt that it would have been enough to keep him alive for longer than say, twenty minutes maximum."

"But wouldn't giving him an extra twenty minutes to live have been better than doing nothing at all? Dammit Tintin, he was your _friend_."

Tintin shook his head. "No. The damage to his body was too great. It would have been similar to placing a single adhesive bandage on a body covered head to toe with third degree burns. "

Haddock left his chair, holding a heavy red leather bound tome that he just completed. He moistened his chapped lips with his tongue. "Well good for you, then. But personally I think that even if it was something really minor that could help, I would've done it."

"You become a whole lot wiser after living for so long," Tintin sighed.

A force whipped against Tintin's cheek. He felt against the reddening, heated hand mark imprinted on his face as he looked forward at the red-faced captain.

Haddock clenched his teeth, the breath venting through his set. His eyes portrayed deep anger, anger he normally reserved to those that crossed him in the worst way possible, before softening as he stared at the palm he just used to attack his friend.

"Tintin lad, I'm… I'm sorry." And then, with the same palm, he began striking himself. "Archie, you parasite! Trilobite! _Idiot!_"

"Hey, hey! Cut that out, Captain!" Tintin tossed his book onto the table and pounced onto his friend. He tried grabbing him more than once before catching the captain's hand. "What are you doing? I'm the one that should be saying sorry for such a thoughtless comment! You're just following the normal grief process!"(_At least, you were before hitting yourself…)_

Haddock finally broke down. "Tintin, I wish I died in place of the professor. The way he died, he did not deserve that. That quirky, intelligent, wonderful man did not deserve to deteriorate like that! I, a load of flotsam and jetsam, deserve that… But not him! Thundering typhoons, what did Cuthbert do to have that handed to him?

"And it's not just him, Tintin! If you could die and that your death was just as horrific, it would've been just as deserving for me as well!"

Tintin's jaw dropped earlier, and it stayed there as he attempted to conjure words out of his dry mouth. "Y-you really believe that, Captain? That you're that awful of a human being?"

Haddock covered his face and nodded.

"Captain…" Tintin kneaded his fingers along Haddock's hand and wrist. "You're far from the worst human being on the face of the Earth. Last time I checked you've never ordered the death of an entire ethnicity, or molested and killed people, or _knowingly_ distributed drugs. You aren't a saint, but neither am I. And guess what? Most saints weren't saints all the time, either!

"I love you as you, Captain. I'm not supposed to give mortals immortality, but I chose to offer it to you because I thought you were worthy of me. And if the professor wanted to join my family as well, I would've offered him the same deal in a heartbeat. But that's his loss and now we're both paying the price. I don't want to lose you as well…"

Haddock squirmed from Tintin's grip. "Cap—"

Haddock clasped himself around Tintin. His beard bristled against the boy's neck.

"Tintin?" He whispered. "When I was telling you that I loved you like family? I lied."

The reporter blanked for a quick moment. "Huh? What?... What do you-"

"I love you beyond family. _I love you_. And I want to be with you forever, lad."

And with that, Haddock's lips pressed against Tintin's. As soon as the boy registered what was going on, he closed his eyes and joined the awkward, yet bittersweet kissing session. He did not care about Haddock's beard brushing against his baby face, or of chapped lips meeting moisturized ones, or the fact that both men's breaths desperately required breath mints. For the first time in his life he was genuinely, sexually loving someone and for a few seconds he was in a bliss he wished to never depart from.

Then, when Tintin finally decided that he would begin a kiss, Haddock cocked his head back.

"I'm ready."

The words felt like those he could only hear in a dream. "You're… ready?"

"Yes. I'm ready lad." Haddock's smile proved that he was telling the truth.

Tintin grinned, then frowned when he realized a potential flaw in the plan. "Wait… But how are we going to cover this up?"

"We can just say that I decided to leave overnight…"

"Yes, but why? I need to give the alibi to the local police, and the locals, and Thompson and Thomson when they ask me questions."

"You know how I am about Cuthbert's death! Just file a police report and rig a suicide site somewhere in the woods somewhere, I guess…"

Tintin bit his lip. "I will need to rough out the edges before actually doing something about it, but alright. …But are you _sure _that you're ready? I just want to hear it again."

"I'm a whole lot more ready than I was when you first asked. Let's do it after dinner, though. I just want one more meal of 'real food' before I have to eat whatever Snowy has to eat."

Tintin let out a laugh. "Sure, that's a reasonable enough request. After dinner it is."

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Tintin locked the door behind him, turned and smiled at the man petting Snowy on his bed.

"I'm going to ask you one more time… Are you sure you want this?"

"Billions of blue blistering barnacles lad, I've said yes every single time you've asked me today! I'm positive that I want this!"

"All right, then… You know what? I'll join Snowy and you tonight." Tintin began with his pullover, then his collared shirt, undershirt… As he dropped his plus fours to his ankles and began his underwear, Snowy hopped off Haddock in frightened surprise when the captain's crotch reacted to the sight.

When Tintin grinned he resembled an elf. "Would you like me to take care of that, Captain?"

"Only if you want to, lad."

The reporter kicked off the last of his clothes, leaving them scattered across the floor before forwarding to kiss the captain. He signaled Snowy to retreat under the bed, but the dog already beat him to that request.

Tintin gagged a couple of times and overall wasn't that great at a blowjob, but Haddock knew that the boy was trying his hardest. He guided the younger man with several tips on how to get him off once or twice, but otherwise let him to do it on his own. There wasn't a rush, after all.

When he finally came, Tintin gagged at the sudden geyser spurting into his mouth. He allowed Tintin some moments to readjust himself, swallow as much of his fill as possible. He swiped what semen that had escaped onto his lip away when he was done.

"How… How was I?"

Laying down on the bed, Haddock yawned from sex and dim light-induced fatigue. "You did the best job you could, lad. There's nothing else I could've asked for."

Tintin climbed onto his bed. "Captain, please don't fall asleep just yet. I still need to change you. It shouldn't take too long."

Haddock raised his torso, anchored himself with his hands. "Will I be able to take some of your pain potion?"

"No, because of all the poisonous blooms. But the pain will cede very quickly once you're complete, trust me. It will be over before you know it."

Tintin kissed Haddock once more. "Oh… And, um, this isn't a huge deal, but I would prefer it if I can transform you on the floor. It's just a personal preference."

The captain groaned. "Okay… Sure, lad, if that's what you want."

Haddock finished what Tintin started and threw his clothes by Tintin's messy pile. He lay on his back against the floor, allowed Tintin to cover his mouth to stifle the inevitable screams by a few decibels.

"I want you to take deep breaths," Tintin commanded as he focused his other hand at the captain, "Do them in and out slowly through the nose…"

Tintin closed his eyes, focused on the necessary thoughts for his spell. Haddock saw white light shimmer from the fingertips. Then, he felt his body tingle and tangle. He closed his eyes, forgot what Tintin advised, and screamed until the pain became too great to scream or comprehend what else was going on.

And then, just as sudden as it began, the pain was gone. Just like what Tintin said. When he opened his eyes the world was black and white and much, much larger. He rolled himself onto all fours and looked around. Tintin, at least the human Tintin, was not present.

"Wow!" He heard a new voice cry. "Is that _you_, Uncle Archie?"

Haddock turned around. Snowy, head popped out from under the bed curtain, panted. "Snowy?"

Snowy gasped, crawled out from under, wagged his tail at the black, bearded Scottish terrier. "Wicked! It _is_ you! Tintin, come look!"

A briard moved from the other side of the bed. The shaggy dog laughed. "Oh wow! Captain that is so fitting! A diehard becomes a literal 'Diehard.'"

"Oh this will be so awesome!" Snowy said. "I can't wait to show you everything it means to be a dog! You, Tintin and I will have so many more wonderful adventures together now! And we won't even have to leave Marlinspike for them now! Isn't that wonderful?"

Haddock felt his tail wagging at the happy dogs. "Oh yes, lad. It is certainly wonderful…"


End file.
